My placement is really stressful for me sometimes. I get things done that I need to for class, but, my CT has me doing a lot of other things. I don't exactly like his teaching methods, but, I understand what he is trying to do. One thing I noticed that he is really good about is reading to the kids everyday. I see a lot of reading happen in my placement, however, it is not viewed as a fun thing. It seems like it is just another part of the school day. If the children finish homework early their reward is going on the computer not free reading. It is not used as a reward. I think this is normal for classrooms though. The writing process is more difficult for the kids. They struggle with putting sentences together, spelling, and making a paragraph. I see most of them attempting to write a paragraph in bullet form. They are still learning to start writing their sentences at the left of the paper and not in the middle. They have to re do their papers until there are no mistakes then they are allowed to make a final draft. For many of them this is really frustrating and they can get really discouraged. When I'm there I try to help them understand their mistakes and make the process less stressful for them. I find writing one of the most challenging things to help with.

Placement

This past week we worked on writing quite extensively. We used a form of writing workshop to finish the rough drafts the students were making about Thanksgiving and what they were thankful for. I am having a difficult time trying to find a good method of teaching writing. Its not that I can not help the students but rather that I don't know when and how to assist them. When they are stuck on ideas how much assistance do I give them? This is just one of the many questions I have about writing in the classroom. I asked my CT about his thoughts on teaching writing and how he approaches the students. He said that this is his weakest area and that many teachers struggle to find a method that works at all levels. This is something I want to learn much more about because I think it is the essential part of success later in life. Being a good writer can open so many doors in life. If you guys have any thoughts or suggestions It would be great to hear about them. 

Another experience I had this week was making a pie in class. We made a pumpkin pie from scratch, minus the baking part right in the classroom. This was a great lesson for the children and gave them opportunities that many of them don't get at home. My center was taking the seeds and skin from the pre-baked pumpkins. It was very good to see a teacher doing a activity that builds positive learning and roles in the classroom.

Hope everyone else's placement is going well. 

writing workshop - Google Videos

Group Presentation

Hey guys! Here is where we can post notes and ideas from the articles for our project. . .

New Literacies Project

I chose to create a scrapblog about my experience teaching through the arts. This is something that I am very passionate about and also, I had pictures from my experience so I thought a scrapblog would be a good technology to apply to this topic.

When I began using this new technology it definitely was an experience with a “new” technology. I very seldom come in contact with technologies that are entirely new to me, so this was interesting to feel the frustration that can be linked with learning to use and understand a new program. I think this was good because it allowed me to understand how these need to be clearly taught to students; they need to be guided through the process so they can have a positive experience using the technology.

When using the scrapblog program, the creator needs to be able to read the words and the symbols on all of the buttons. If they are like me and used the “help” section a lot then this involved reading longer paragraphs and the comprehension of this text determined if you will be able to learn to use the program. There is not any speaking or listening involved in using this technology. Viewing is an important skill because you must be able to view, analyze and figure out what you want to create next.

I am learning how to plan ahead. At first I jumped right into the creation of my scrapblog and I am now finding myself going back and “fixing” and reorganizing everything. If I would have taken time to think about my ideas first then I wouldn’t have to do all of this editing.

If I were introducing this technology to my students I might compare this to a PowerPoint or a paper scrapbook. This would allow me to activate their prior knowledge and we could even compare and contrast the two to see which technologies might be better for different types of projects. I know that this program was quite confusing and frustrating to me at times because it simply wasn’t working and doing what I wanted it to do. I might address this with my students and have us work together in learning how to navigate the program.

I think that this technology tool does not match up to what I may have considered literacy to be prior to using it. However, now that I have I think it can be a powerful tool. Although the scrapblog pages don’t call for many words portraying your ideas and feelings on a certain topic using little words, pictures, colors and designs is a skill in itself. I really enjoyed using this new technology and once I master the program and feel confident with it I think it is a tool that my students can use to make a project with.

More Reflection on My Placement

In my kindergarten placement, I am starting to doubt the effectiveness of my CT's techniques and activities. Although she is a very nice woman and works well with children her activities aren't stimulating or thought provoking. ALL of her activities are cut and paste or coloring worksheets. She has them sit at the carpet and she demonstrates the whole activity, "this is how you do it" then she sends them back to their seats to regurgitate the actions that she just did. Especially since all of these students are the lowest performing kindergarten students in the school, I worry that there is not enough creativity, stimulation, structure, etc.

...It is a constant learning process for me especially since this is my first time in a kindergarten classroom

My Placement.

I really like my placement, I am still not sure about my CT. I think he runs a good classroom and is a good teacher and role model for the students. Especially the boys. We get along good and have formed a good relationship. We are going to start co-teaching some things and I think it will be a great opportunity to get more practice leading discussion and lessons for a classroom. I have started to form great relationships with my students. I know all 27 of their names and have a unique bond with many of them. I truly can say I love what I am doing. At times I have been unsrue about my passion and ability to teach. But this year has made a great impact on me and I have disscovered its my passion along with politics.